Slide fastener



June 26 1934.

E. o. sEAVER SLIDE FASTENER Filed sept. 15

IINVEA/TOR. li'zzivf a Seal/er Patented June 26, 1934 PATENT OFFICESLIDE FASTENER Elliot O. Seaver, Meadville, Pa., assignor to HooklessFastener Company, a corporation o! Pennsylvania Application September15, 1933, Serial No. 689,618

3 Claims.

My invention relates to slide fasteners and more particularly tosupplemental reinforcement means for preventing accidental damage tosuch fasteners.

- In many cases where slide fasteners are applied in garments the userwill open the fastener by a ripping pull which will place a force on theslider tending to move it in opening direction toward the bottom stop.The bottom stop serves l0 as a permanent binder in many garmentfasteners and serves also to locate the fastener elements in one row`relative to fastener elements on the other row, so that they w'ill comeinto engagement properly. It has happened in some cases that the forceapplied on the sides of the fastener when the slider is against thebottom stop, will move the bottom stop on the iiexible tapes and impairits functions.

The object of the present invention, therefore,

` is to provide supplemental means which will A prevent lateral pull onthe edges of the article from transmitting stress to the slider when theslider is against the bottom stop.

The term bottom stop is used herein and in the trade, to mean theconnecting and stop member at the end of the rows-of fastener elementswhich is the first to be engaged by the slider, or the end where theslider is located when the fastener is fully opened. In some instancesthis may be actually at the top of the fastener rather than at thebottom.

In the accompanying drawing, I have shown for purposes of illustrationone embodiment which my invention may assume in practice. In

this drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front View of the lowerportion of -a fastener equipped withmy invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional View on line 2--2 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a rear view ofthe fastening device showing the slider inpartly closed position.

The fastening device illustrated has fiexible supports, herein fabrictapes 5, 6, which are attached in the edges of the article '7,` byanysuitable means such as rows of stitching 8. Cooperating rows of fastenerelements 9 are mounted on the adjacent edges of the tapes and areengaged and disengaged by a slider 10 in a manner is applied. Such apull will be transmitted to the slider, which will tend to slip alongtherows of fastener elements toward the opening position as is wellknown in the art. The bottom stop member is designated as 12 and isplaced directly against the endmcst fastener element on one Stringer,and just slightly spaedfrom the endmost fastener element on the otherStringer, so as to hold the elements in proper relation for engagementby the slider.

The form of bottom stop illustrated has two jaw plates 13, 14 whichembrace the edges of the mounting tapes, and which are integrallyconnected by a narrow neck 15 between the edges of the exible supports.When the slider is in fully open position and bearing against the stopmember, any ripping action or lateral stress on the exible supports willtend to force the bottom .stop to move along the flexible support,provided the stress is transmitted to the slider as is ordinarily thecase.

In my invention, a supplemental reinforcing means is applied to connectthe flexible supports just above the bottom stop so as to remove thestress from the slider. Such reinforcing means comprises a tensionmember firmly attached to the exible supports just above the -bottomstop and the length of such member is only slightly greater than thedistance between its points of attachment when the fastener is closed,`so `that as soon as a pulling force is placed on the supports with theslider in fully opened position, the tension member will come into play'and prevent such force being transmitted to the slider. One convenientformy of the tension member is a flexible tape 16 having a cord edge 17at the top and secured to the exible supports by stitching 18. The cordedge provides extra strength A at the point where the greatest stresswill occur. This tape is arranged on the back side of the fastener sothat it will not be visible in use and does not'interfere in any waywith the movement of the slider in fully open position. The tape is ofsuch length that when the fastener is closed the fastener elements willtake the lateral strain from the tape and at the same time, it willpermit a slight separation of the fastener elements in this localitywhen the fastener is opened; but it will not allow any stress to beplaced on the slider when it is against the bottom stop.

In Fig; 2 the cross-section illustrates the structure in the fiy of apair of trousers where difficulty of the above character has frequentlyvbeen experienced. In this assemblage it is demonstrated that the tensionmember 16 does not affect the use of the fastener. The overlapping ap 19extends over the complete fastening device and completely conceals themetal parts of the fastener.

As a. result of my invention a simple and cheap way has been providedfor eliminating many causes of trouble and dissatisfaction in fastenerswhich are applied in garments.

While I have shown and described in this application one embodimentwhich my invention -may assume in practice, it will be understood thatthis embodiment is merely for the purposes of illustration anddescription and that various other forms may be devised within the scopeof my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In combination, a slide fastener comprising opposed fastenerstringers with rows of fastener elements on their adjacent edges, aslider movable along said elements for engaging and disengaging thesame, a member serving as a permanent connection for said stringers andas a bottom stop for the slider, and a flexible tension memberpermanently secured directly to said stringers and extending across saidfastener elements` just far enough above said bottom stop to take up thetransverse stress when said fastener is ripped completely open and toprevent severe stresses from being transmitted to said permanentconnecting member.

2. In combination, a slide fastener comprising opposed fastenerstringers with rows of fastener elements on their acacent edges, aslider movable along said elements for engaging and disengaging thesame, a pull tab attached to one side of said slider, a member servingas a bottom stop for the slider and as a permanent connection for saidstringers, and a flexible tension member permanently secured to saidstringers and extending across said fastener elements on the side of thefastener opposite said pull tab, the points of connection of saidflexible member to the stringers being spaced from the fastener elementssufeiently to allow free movement of the slider between the tensionmember and fastener elements, said tension member having at least aportion thereof above the slider when the slider is againstv said bottomstop whereby a ripping stress applied to the fastener stringers when inopen position will not be transmitted to said slider and connectingmember.

3. The combination dened in the preceding claim wherein said tensionmember comprises a corded edge tape with the corded edge spaced farthestaway from said bottom stop.

ELLIOT O. SEAVER.

